League: Three teams after last spot

The final place in the NRL top eight stays open to three teams after the penultimate round of 26, and all 15 teams could finish within a 12-point range from 22 to 34.

The Eels slapped Canberra 48-10 and Penrith beat the Bulldogs 28-6 yesterday, and North Queensland beat Souths 30-16, the losers all gone from finals considerations.

The Warriors' two-point defeat of Manly on Saturday night upset all easy calculations.

The three teams that could take the last top-eight spot are the Eagles, Roosters and Panthers.

Confirmed are the Eels, Dragons and Broncos, locked on 34 points at the top, Wests Tigers on 32, the Storm and the Cowboys on 30 and the Sharks on 28. The Eagles sit uncomfortably on 26.

Centre Ben Smith and wing Luke Burt scored hat-tricks yesterday as the Eels ran away from the Raiders on the back of a good kicking game, while Penrith centre Paul Franze notched a hat-trick against the Dogs after halfback Craig Gower set them on a roll with a great individual try.

The Cowboys scored four first-half tries yesterday to take the game away from Souths.

Andrew Johns inspired the Knights to their seventh win on the trot on Saturday night, an eight-try demolition of the Sharks. Brad Tighe scored in the eighth minute and the roll never stopped as Johns scored one try and assisted in six others, with seven of the eight coming through the backs.

Over 23,000 turned out to see the wooden-spoon team, and the thrashing of Cronulla, who thrashed Manly the previous weekend, suggests the Knights are on the up for 2006.

The Sharks lost prop Jason Stevens in the 12th minute with a dislocated shoulder, which was of more concern to coach Stuart Raper afterwards than was the loss - they were still on track for the playoffs, he said.

Storm captain Robbie Kearns was cheered from the field after the home team beat Wests Tigers 34-22 at Olympic Park. More than 10,050 were there to see Kearns, Matt Orford, Steve Bell, Alex Chan and Peter Robinson play their last game in Melbourne. The win puts them in line for a home semifinal.

The Tigers, too, lost a prop in the first half, Todd Payten off with an arm injury. The Storm started without Billy Slater at fullback but his teenage replacement, Greg Inglis, looked good. Centre Matt King made several telling line-breaks.

The Tigers scored through wing Daniel Fitzhenry when the ball was shovelled wide in the fifth minute, but the Storm responded through halfback Orford, wing Matt Geyer and hooker Cameron Smith.

When the Tigers attacked, a kick from their hooker, Robbie Farah, was grabbed by Scott Hill, who sent Steve Bell on a 90m run to score. Inglis scored off an Orford bomb before the Tigers grabbed two late consolation tries.

On Friday night, the Roosters downed an injury-depleted Broncos 17-10 in front of 35,000 fans in Brisbane, giving their coach Ricky Stuart confidence to state that if they scrape into the playoffs they're capable of beating any of the top teams.

The Broncos' injury toll rose further with David Stagg breaking his collarbone and Corey Parker a finger, prompting coach Wayne Bennett to say he would forfeit next weekend's game to Parramatta if the rules allowed it.

It was 4-all at the break, after a penalty that should have gone to the home team went instead to the visitors. Craig Fitzgibbon goaled. From the kick-off, Anthony Tupou broke the line to send Anthony Minichiello on a 90m run to score. A Brett Finch field goal sealed it.